


DanganRonpa: Chained Desires

by Isabel_no_Mikoto



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Expect people to die, LGBTQ Character, Nonbinary Character, Or do it, Original Character(s), Original killing game, Please don't get too attached to anyone, bad language, executions, feedback appreciated!, i'm not your boss, just in case, unfinished yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:27:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27978081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isabel_no_Mikoto/pseuds/Isabel_no_Mikoto
Summary: Kaminari Hashimoto had a very different idea about how her life studying at Hope's Peak Academy would be. For starters, she didn't think she would be trapped inside the school with another fifteen strangers.
Kudos: 7





	1. Prologue: Hope Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Hope's Peak Academy. A place for gifted individuals and the research of talent. You can't just enroll there, you must fulfill a few requisites, as already being in high school and be the very best at whatever you can do, and be scouted for it.

For most people, Hope's Peak is a dream. For some, an opportunity. For me, well, it depends.

I thought it was going to be pretty much a procedure. They would take three years of my life and that would basically mean I would have my life solved, so it seemed like a fair trade.

Whatever I thought it would be, it resulted to be hell on earth.

Before opening my eyes, I rolled to my left, trying to reach for my phone and wondering what time it'd be. As I processed how hard and flat was the solid surface I was on, the surface ceased existing. More accurately, I rolled over a space where the surface didn't exist.

I quickly readied my hands, preventing my jaw to hit the cold tiled floor. Cursing between my teeth, I opened my eyes to a white laundry room. _Why in hell was I sleeping on washing machines?_ Nothing made any sense. I didn't even know where this laundry room was. Next to the washing machines, there were several magazine racks and a table with a few chairs. On the opposite wall, drying machines mirrored the other side's disposition.

I tried going back in my memories, looking for some explanation. A strange woman named... no, I couldn't remember. I never payed attention to names. That woman invited me to Hope's Peak Academy, and I accepted. Next month, I was ready to start my new life as an Ultimate Student, and... Everything went black as soon as I crossed the gate. There was nothing between the gate and the laundry room.

I couldn't have been kidnapped. It was daytime, and I was surrounded by other people. It was just impossible.

I walked with slow, silent steps towards the door, and had to retain a relieved sigh when I found that it was open. The black and white squared tiles ran all over a spacious hall. The first thing that got my attention was the double doors that were in front of me. I got close to read the sign on the wall next to it, which had a clear instruction on it: "Cafeteria: Access allowed from 7 to 22 and from 3 to 4." _Why does it open an hour at night?_ I had no way to know if I could enter now, so I was ready to take my leave when suddenly the door opened, startling me and triggering my fight or flight instinct.

Just so you know, I never flight.

I was already charging my fist back, when I actually saw the face of a guy who didn't repress the scare and shouted out loud, making me panic double, for anyone could've heard him.

"Don't shout. Who are you? Where are we?" I spoke in my usual calm demeanor, lowering my hand. For his reaction, he wouldn't be an enemy, but another person in a situation similar to mine.

"That's what I should ask you. Haven't your parents taught you to introduce yourself first? And that's something I'd like to know too... Just woke up under a table over there." His voice was now lower and somewhat deep. He was staring at me with light, reddish nut-brown eyes, and ran his hand through his hair, darker than his eyes, styled in an undercut. As expected, he had a quite serious look on his face.

"My name is Kaminari Hashimoto. I come from the laundry room." As I told him, I pointed with my thumb the door behind me.

"Akeno Ikehara. My pleasure." He nodded, with a more relaxed expression. "Do you know how you ended here?"

"I wish. No, I have no idea. I literally woke up and came to this door. You should check this sign, either way."

He raised a brow when he read it, and shrugged.

"So what? It's not like an alarm ringed or anything, so I think it's fine."

As if Ikehara had summoned it, four rings, loud as they could be, ranged from a nearby monitor.

_Ding, dong, bing, bong..._

"Ahem, ahem... Does everyone hear me?" The screen remained black, talking to _everyone_ , some unknown person spoke with a quirky, high pitched voice. "Please, head over to the gym, where the opening ceremony will have place."

"Huh?" The boy crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "I guess we should go. But before that..."

"What?" I couldn't really know why we should be talking about anything. Everything was too strange to trust anyone.

"Did that laundry room have any windows?" Ikehara asked me with his eyes closed, as if he was reading himself for a bad new.

"No. It didn't. Why are you asking?" It was hell of a strange question.

"It's better if you look for yourself."

He then gave me his back, and opened the door to the cafeteria, turning again to watch me react. Probably he would be disappointed, as what I saw was stupid enough for me to not believe my eyes. Thick metal plates were bolted to the wall, in unmistakable rectangular shapes that couldn't be anything besides the windows.

"It's impossible to move them. I tried."

"Where the hell are we?"

"Definitely, not Hope's Peak Academy." We walked towards the gym, as there were several signs showing the way there, talking about how both of us were entering the Academy, and awakened here. He revealed to me his title as Ultimate Tattoo Artist, and so did I tell him mine, as Ultimate Snooker Player.

When we got there, there were already several people waiting. My eyes stopped first on the crutches a boy was using, but soon a noisy girl with golden hair caught my attention, waving and welcoming us in a loud voice. Either way, as soon as I noticed _him_ , none of the others seemed remarkable at all. A tall person, shrouded in purplish layers of capes, hiding his face under masks. Counting both of us, we were fourteen of us, but it wasn't long before two more people appeared. In the same way as it was in the cafeteria, the windows in the gym were covered by very thick metallic plates.

The very moment the doors closed behind the last girl, the same bells from before rang again.

_Ding, dong, bing, bong..._

"Please, pay attention to the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy."

The lights went dim, with the exception of a single focus that drew everyone's attention to the stage. We certainly expected someone to come and give us an explanation, but what actually happened only arose millions of other questions. Who took a place on the stage, or more accurately, what took a place there, was some kind of teddy bear plushie, about a meter tall, half of it white, the other half completely black, with an ominous red right eye, with a shape that imitated the lightning-like shape of Hope's Peak logo.

"Good morning everyone!" It spoke with the same high pitched, carefree voice Ikehara and I heard from the monitor before.

"What the hell is this?" A blonde boy with a salmon wool hat and a bright yellow t-shirt tried to climb to the stage, probably to inspect the talking toy.

"Well, that is what I should be saying, young man. You shouldn't interrupt your teacher like this."

"Man, I thought I'd be the one telling jokes here..." I was barely able to hear the girl next to me mutter those words. I took a more detained look to her t-shirt, which stated "Cereal Killer".

_Is it supposed to be funny?_

"Did you say _teacher_?" The masked person talked with a calmed, androgynous voice, but he certainly asked the right question.

"Why, yes, of course. I am Monokuma, and I will be your teacher here, in Hope's Peak Academy, until the day you graduate! Puhuhuhu..."

 _Here in Hope's Peak Academy._ Those words burnt into my mind. Was this _really_ Hope's Peak? Then... What about the plates? What about _everyone else?_

"It must be remote controlled... Don't panic, everyone. We'll have our answers soon." The one who talked now was a man in a black suit, and somehow his words felt assuring.

"Remote controlled? Me? Oh, don't make me laugh, pretty boy. I'm much more than _remote controlled_... I'm futuristic! I even have a magic pocket!" That said, he extracted a huge survival knife out of its mouth and pointed it to the hat guy, who stepped back.

The surreal _thing_ we had before our eyes felt unreal. Like a collective hallucination. The same way as my first encounter with Ikehara, the mere sight of that _thing_ triggered my fight or flight response. And I actually felt the need to run away.

"Alrighty then! Let's get started! No more interruptions! Welcome, to your new school life. You, the newest students of Hope's Peak Academy, represent the hopes of the world! And so, to protect that shining, magnificent, splendid hope, you will live the rest of your lives in the limits of this school!"

Pretty much everyone started talking back to Monokuma, demanding answers, freedom, and a long etc.

"Do worry not, my dear students! We are quite well supplied, so there will be enough food, water, and whatever you need forever!"

"Who cares about that!" "Yeah! I want to leave now!"

Pretty much everyone said the same things. No one seemed to notice the key part of its speech.

"You said that you would be our teacher until the day we graduate. What did you mean?"

"That's it! I wanted to get there, but everyone got so mad at me..." Oh, great, now the bear wanted to play pitiful. "Yes, indeed, if you are so serious about leaving, I can't help it... Even though I prepared everything to help you guys have a peaceful communal life here... There is one way you can leave here."

"Then hurry the hell up and tell us!" Shouted a muscular girl.

The bear then went completely quiet.

"Hey, calm down. It'll tell us, just be patient." Another guy, this one with a white shirt, talked to her in a gentle voice, having read the atmosphere.

"That's better. You need to respect your teachers, or you won't get far in life, puhuhuhu..." Something about how it empathized that _won't get far in life_ caused a chill to go down my spine. "Yes, there is this graduation rule... I'll tell you right now. I already said that you were going to live a _peaceful_ _communal_ _life_. Of course, disrupting this peace is unacceptable, and whoever commit such despicable act would be allowed to leave."

"When you say, _disrupt the peace..._ "

"I'm talking about _murder_ , of course!" That _thing_ projected its malicious, maniacal laughter to us, who were speechless, motionless, hopeless. "Huh? Did the mouse eat your tongues? I thought you were eager to leave here."

"M-murder?" A tall girl with blue hair was the first one to break the silence, expressing the same concern everyone had.

"Yes! You know, slashing, hitting, shooting, hanging, strangling, burning, there are lots of different and creative ways! It's that simple! If you want to leave, kill someone!"

"Why... why are you doing this to us?" I finally managed to speak.

"Because I'm your teacher, of course." Although the creepy smile the bear had in its black side hadn't changed at all, its body language acted as if it didn't understand why I was asking that.

"That's not... what a teacher does..." The blue-haired girl talked again, continuing my line of thought. "A teacher is supposed to... teach."

"Well, Miss Miyara, that is exactly what this is. This is a whole lesson. A lesson on Despair."

A sepulchral silence took over the gym. Yes, it was Despair what nested on our hearts. It was Despair what made us look to each other as if we were all killers already.

"My, my... You haven't even introduced yourselves and you are already thinking about who will become Blackened... You Symbols of Hope, seem to have no Hope at all!"

"How... how could we kill anyone?" The boy with the crutches started to breathe heavily.

"As I said, there are several reliable methods, like stabbing, beheading, or bludgeoning! But please, be as creative as you want!"

"That's not..."

"Hey, everyone! Snap out of it! And you! Munokon, or whatever it is, just let us go!" The muscular girl from before yelled her lungs out, achieving what she intended to do.

"It's Monokuma, Missy. And, of course, I won't. After all the trouble it was to take over the school... It would be a waste to let you go... I might as well jump from the roof! Bwahahaha!"

"You asstard, I swear that if you don't let us go I will-" The guy with the salmon wool hat advanced menacingly towards Monokuma, but it interrupted him before he could end talking.

"You, what? Are you planning to harm me? Please, do as you wish, but that would mean that you'd be breaking a rule, and shall be punished for it! Lets see... Violence against the staff... Yes! The punishment is being shot with the Gatling gun!"

As to confirm his statement, a second Monokuma appeared from the door behind us, armed with said weapon. Once again, none of us were able to say a word. Where did they get such thing? Was it even real?

The boy's anger turned into sheer fear. There was no way that anyone could survive a shot of that thing.

"So... anyone wanna test it out? Its brand new..."

Silence, once again.

"That's what I thought... But hey, not everything is bad news! Look what's in my magic pocket! You, Takakuwa! You've been really quiet the whole time! Why don't you take what's in my pocket?" As it spoke, I saw the armed Monokuma leave the gym with the weapon. Takakuwa, a girl with very short black hair and a strange harness over her uniform approached the bear with an incredible temperate expression.

"Come on, I won't bite ya'." Doubting, she put her hand inside its mouth, and took out several electronic tablets, each of them with a strap to wear it comfortably as a belt, in case we didn't have something to carry it.

"¡Those are your E-Handbooks! They carry lots of important information, like a map of the installations, info on your classmates, or the regulations! This last version even includes a notepad, so you can prepare your murder plans with ease! Well then, see you around!"

With that, it disappeared from our sight, leaving us with that dreadful word ringing in our ears. _Murder._

"Where did it go?" A boy with a ponytail talked for the first time, to ask a stupid question.

"We don't know, worm brain." Was I too harsh? I'd rather call that sincerity.

"Hey, easy there, huh? We're all in this together." Ikehara took the turn to speak.

"So... to kill..." The muscled girl looked quite troubled at the thought of having to hurt someone.

"Man, if someone came here now they'd be like _Hey, who died?_ Am I right?" The girl with the pun t-shirt was definitely even more stupid than the ponytail jerk. If glares killed, half of us would be able to leave already.

But there was definitely someone who found it funny, and a chuckle could be heard. It was the golden haired chick, who was now covering her mouth to retain the laugh.

"Sorry, sorry... I just... wasn't expecting that..."

Well, if I was lucky enough, I would be the one being killed.

"Hey... is someone... actually considering it?"

"Yeah, if someone is planning to kill they would tell you, for sure."

"Sorry, I just... I don't know..."

After that exchange between two of them, silence took over again.

"Alright, how about introducing ourselves? It seems... unlikely that Monokuma will let us go in the near future, so lets all get along, yes?" The guy in the suit was the next to speak. "My name is Kenjiro Tsuzuki, and I'm known as the Ultimate Salesperson. My family has a hardware store in Nagoya, and with my help we got enough sales to open three more stores in the city."

"Yeah, I'll _buy_ that story." Pun-girl managed to get some more people to smirk with that joke. "The name is Shizu Ozaki, but just Shizu is fine. Man, what a pain... And yeah, the school decided that I was the Ultimate Comedian..." For a comedian, she sure had a lost look. "Now it's your turn, Susanoo."

The masked person cleared their throat, and spoke with serenity. "Yes, that is how I ask you all to refer to me. I will not have a name, nor a face, nor a desire to leave. I am Susanoo, and as long as I am here, there will be no killings. I was recruited as the Ultimate Vigilante, for I protect the citizens from ill willed scum. And I promise I will protect all of you now."

"Okay, Batman, we get it. I'll be next. I'm Tamaki Hirose, I like parties, hanging out and... you know... Watching after my people!" She was... weird. Hirose seemed to follow some American trend, or something, wearing those trousers like ten sizes larger, and a green hoodie, with her hair tied in six dark violet hair buns. "Oh, right, my talent! I'm a Beatboxer, so I could make some beats whenever you like!"

_I think I'll pass._

"So, let me guess! You, with the cute pink eyes! Are you like, the Ultimate Waitress?"

I couldn't believe it. She was pointing at me. She was seriously trying her best to guess my Ultimate Talent, and the only thing she came up with was that? I had to live with these people? Maybe it was time to think if murder was really that bad.

"You know, you are a classic example of the inverse ratio between the size of the mouth and the size of the brain." Now people glared at me. As if I could care less. She gaped, her poor little brain unable to think a response. "I'm the Ultimate Snooker Player. But probably you don't even know what snooker is. My name is Kaminari Hashimoto, by the way."

After a little while, the blonde girl that laughed at the dark joke Shizu told before, broke the silence I created. "Hi! My name is Harukichi Nagano! I'm training for the Olympics, and my specialty is archery! I let my friends call me Haru, so you could try to earn that!" She winked at the crutches boy as she said that last bit. Cheery people really piss me off.

Obviously, he was next. It took a bit of time for him to start speaking, but he eventually did. "Well, I... my name is Soseki... Soseki Michizoe. What I do is... well..." _My gosh, speak already. I'll die from boredom._ "I started making dolls and toys when I was a kid and... well... I guess I'm pretty good at that..."

"Okay! Thanks, Michizoe! I'll take it from here! I am Tomoe Sugihara, and I'm aiming for the Olympics as well!" The bandages that covered her arms from the hands to the elbows caught my attention at first, but then I noticed the scar on the edge of her right eyebrow. Her dark green hair was tied in a ponytail too, but this one was shorter than the one of the other guy. She also wore a bright red sweater and black pants. "But I guess my thing is a bit rougher, Nagano! I'm a Boxer!"

Probably everyone on the gym were wondering if she could punch someone to death. I bet she and her mighty, defined and stout arms could. Wow.

"Can I?" Following Sugihara, a guy with slicked hair, which was pointy in the back of his head rose a hand to ask to speak. "Thank you. I am Adachi, Ultimate Event Planner." He adjusted his glasses, gesture that allowed me to see his wristwatch."

"Hey, hold up, Adachi. What time is it?" He quickly took a glance to it. "Quarter to ten, in the morning. Is it important?" I shrugged, thinking about the cafeteria sign. Ikehara looked at me with understanding. "It could be. Go on." he looked away, to where Monokuma first appeared. "I don't know. It all started with a friend's birthday, one thing led to another, and here we are."

"Uhmm... I'd like to be next... I'm Nikanora Umemura. Mom is from Philippines, but I was born in Kyushu." Indeed, her features pointed at her ascendance. She'd probably have had a bad time considering how much of an asshole some people could be about that. "Kyushu is quite nice, the weather is pleasant most of the year... well, for me at least. I remember when I was ten one time that-"

_"Ahem."_

The girl in the harness cleared her throat loud enough to get Umemura back to reality.

"Oh, my bad. I tend to talk and talk and going to other topics. It happened to me once while I was- Oh, sorry. I was doing it again. I like fishing, I'm the Ultimate Angler."

At least she was over.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt me to speak as well, right?" Ikehara spoke after her, taking the spotlight we had been throwing back and forth for a while. "Name's Akeno. Akeno Ikehara. Ultimate Tattoo Artist. I grabbed some ink and a needle when I was twelve and did my entire leg. Pleased to meet y'all."

"Yeah, same here. I'm Tsuchinoko Kohei. Yeah, Tsuchinoko, like the flat snake. I guess I'm the Ultimate Skater, if that counts as a talent. I ain't goin' to give a speech like the superhero over there, but I'd rather live here to old age than having any of you killed. Understood?"

He seemed reliable, and not the kind to waste words. He might be worth the trouble. Takakuwa, the same that had to put her hand into Monokuma's jaws, spoke next.

"Hatsue Takakuwa. I pilot everything from helicopters to supersonic jet fighters."

We were all expecting her to keep going, but I guess that was it.

"A supersonic introduction, indeed..." Shizu couldn't remain quiet even if she tried.

"So, I'm like, the next, right?" It was the tall blue haired girl from before who talked now. She seemed more cheery this time. Her black uniform contrasted with the magenta neckerchief it had tied to it and the dark citron jacket she was hearing over it all. "I'm Kuniko Miyara, hairstylist. Lets get along, yes?"

"Sure thing! We can do this, everyone!" The guy with the green ponytail matching with Sugihara's, the one I insulted, was next. "You can call me Natsu Nakashima! Natsu is fine, we're all friends in here! We will work hard and find an exit, and we will all get out of here safe and sound! I'm considered the Ultimate Gardener, so even if we need to remain here for a long time, if we find some soil, we could grow our own food!" If I thought I didn't like him before, now I didn't want to hear him open his mouth ever again. Grow our own food? How long does he expect to live here? Years? I seriously hope we can find an exit.

"I guess I'm last, but not least, right? Maybe you've seen my concerts advertised over Tokyo if you're a resident. I am Seihachi Aikawa." He held his chin and smiled, adding the rest of his introduction. "I'm the one honored to be called the Ultimate Violinist. And I have to say, I'm more than deserving of the title."

So, that was it. The sixteen of us had introduced, and now all we could do was look forward, and treasure the little, flickering Hope we had in ourselves, some strangers, and the possibility of the existence of an exit.


	2. Chapter 1: Hope Without a Cause

**Daily Life**

* * *

"Okay, from now on, we are all a team, right?" Tsuzuki, the Ultimate Salesperson, and the one who started the introductions, was once again the first to break the ice. He looked at all of us with his violet eyes, and smiled. "As Natsu said, we will work hard as a team, and will do this! Adachi, you're a Planner, aren't you? We all would be very grateful if you could help us organize the sixteen of us."

I don't recall giving him permission to speak on my behalf, but I'll let it slide this time.

"Well, we have two priorities, the first one is checking those regulations, so we can make sure no one will be _punished_. The second one is dividing in four groups and making sure we have explored the building."

"Yeah! We could discuss where each of us awake too!"

"That's a good idea, Sugihara." I nodded, remembering the laundry room. "But first things first."

And so, we started reading Monokuma's rules.

"Students must reside only inside the School. Leaving is strictly forbidden."

"From 22:00 to 7:00 is 'Nighttime'. Some areas are considered off-limits at certain times, so please, exercise caution."

"Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitories will be punished."

"With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy to your heart's content."

"Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras or monitors."

"The killing of another student will grant you the status of Blackened, which allows you to graduate, unless you are discovered."

"Forcing another student to break a rule will be regarded as a killing."

"Additional rules may be added in the future."

"Okay. I hope those off-limit areas are signaled." Natsu scratched his head, visibly worried.

"Yes, actually, when I woke up in the cafeteria, Hashimoto and I saw some sign that specified at what times we didn't have access there." Ikehara quickly responded to his mumbling.

"I take it that is why you asked about the time."

I just nodded, as I had no need to waste my breath.

"But there is something else, remember, Hashimoto?"

"Yes. It was pretty strange. There was a time gap, between 3 and 4 in the morning, in which the cafeteria could be entered. Plus, the regulation said that some areas were off-limits _at certain times_. It didn't say anything about it being the whole Nighttime."

"But why?"

No one answered Michizoe. Either they didn't know, or didn't want to say it. But it had already crossed my mind. At night, it could be easy to sneak into the cafeteria, where utensils would probably be stored, and grab a knife, or some other thing to use as a weapon. And giving it a second thought... Could Ikehara have already armed himself?

"Good, anyone else want to talk about where did you wake up? Hashimoto, you came with Ikehara, right?"

"Yes, but I woke up in a laundry room. It was near the cafeteria, so we met before the announcement. It had nothing of note, though, just some racks of magazines."

And that's how everyone explained how they woke up in strange places, like the trash incinerator room, classrooms, or the toilet.

The only restricted place was the cafeteria, for what we could tell. Tsuzuki asked Adachi, once again, how we should divide. He then made the groups on the spot, and paired me with Miyara, Shizu and Susanoo.

As there were plenty of classrooms and other areas in the vicinity, we, Team 3, were tasked with checking the Dorms side, which apparently had less spaces.

"Shizu, you called Susanoo by their name before, right? Do you know each other?"

She took a deep breath, as if she had been asked the same thing a thousand of times. "No... We were the first ones to get to the gym, and had a bit of a talk..."

The masked person remained silent the whole time. They might be somewhat bizarre but at least they wouldn't bother me with constant blabbering.

"So... You play Snooker, right, Hashimoto? That's like billiards, isn't it?" Why couldn't we just look for an exit in silence?

"Well, it is kind of the professional billiards. Not the usual bar pool table. There are lots of strategy and physics involved." "Whoa, that sounds interesting. I bet you had to train a lot." Shizu sighed, probably thinking of it as something tiresome. "Six to nine hours a day." "Holy shit."

When we got to the hall, we decided to inspect the cafeteria first, as I had already confirmed that it was fine to enter now. We wouldn't depend on Adachi to know the time, as the E-Handbooks had a clock function too.

There was nothing weird about the place. Tables, chairs, everything was so normal, in such an abnormal situation, that gave me the chills. Besides the double doors we came from, there was a wooden door, which Susanoo and I entered while Shizu and Miyara gave the cafeteria a second, more detained look. We were ignoring Adachi's advice on being together the four of us, but whatever.

Of course, a cafeteria can't work without a kitchen to prepare the dishes. Both of us glanced to the huge seven kitchen knives. Everything that could be expected to be on a kitchen had its place. Along with the kitchenware, there was an inventory list that I made Susanoo read aloud as I checked everything.

The funny thing came when we got to the cutlery count. Everything had its clear number, from frying pans to the funnels, but the spoons, forks and knives had an absurd mathematical operation, including complex equations and plenty of other academic hardships.

So we couldn't know if Ikehara was armed or not. Could I trust him? If I made sure that it was Susanoo who read the list was because he could easily hide a knife between his capes.

Hope wouldn't keep me alive in this situation. The only thing that could do that was... _Distrust_.

"So... You said before that you woke up in the gym?"

"Yes. And when I went to search for other places or people, I found Miss Ozaki. We were interchanging our recollections, wondering if we would be able to discover how we ended up in this place."

"And... Well, I'll just ask. You are a boy, right? There are eight girls, and without counting you, there would be just seven guys."

"And that's exactly how it goes!" We heard Monokuma behind us, and quickly Shizu and Miyara opened the door. "Out of the sixteen students, there are eight girls and seven boys!" And without giving us the time to ask for an explanation, Monokuma disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Indeed, as I do not fit in the social gender binary, regardless of how I am seen without my masks or how my body was born, I refuse to be forcefully categorized as a man or as a woman. Is there a problem with that?"

"Nope. Not at all. I was just asking, and that's an answer." I shrugged off the glance that they were giving to me, and Shizu and Miyara nodded, acknowledging Susanoo's answer as well.

The kitchen was equipped with several refrigerators and freezers, with tons of ingredients and precooked dishes. Even the shelves were full of spices and seasonings, and cereals and such. Monokuma was telling the truth when it said that we would have plenty of food.

Having finished with the cafeteria and kitchen, we went straight to the laundry room were I woke up.

"I don't think this was meant _just_ for us..."

"What do you mean, Miss Miyara?

"It's just... look at this. There are like five magazines for each of us, and... Motorbikes, travel, martial arts, rock music, photography, insects, literature, outer space... Most of those subjects don't directly fit with any of us. Hashimoto, besides these five about snooker, which ones would you take?"

It took me a while before a could even give an answer. Sure, there were a couple that could be interesting, but... I wouldn't spend much time with any of them. "I don't know... maybe I'd give the photography ones a try."

"That's what I was talking about. Maybe... we aren't the first ones to do this. Or there are more people coming after us."

"Ding ding ding!" I clenched my teeth as I heard again the carefree voice of the monochrome bear. "Prize for Miss Miyara! You're not the first to study here, and won't be the last group! But throwing away those magazines would be a waste, so I just collect them here. You don't have to thank me."

"Have there been... killings here?" Shizu asked, her face completely pale.

"Maybe if I told you that there have been people who has exited this place you were more comfortable?"

"You are talking about Graduates, right?" Susanoo, unfazed, was the one who put my thoughts into words.

"Of course! I'm the proud teacher of twelve Graduates! Puhuhuhu..."

Twelve. That would mean that twelve murderers were out in the open.

"Man... that really _killed the mood_..."

I was frozen. I couldn't even process the joke that stupid red haired gnome just made.

"That means... Only eight from a single group were to graduate... But the other four... No. We shouldn't assume that every other group was composed of sixteen people." I remained quite calm, but my voice noticeably trembled.

"Huh? Do you want to do math on how many people has died? I'm pretty sure you can find out on your own. Bwahahaha!"

"Villain... Do not doubt that I will get out of here, and you will be the one who receive punishment!" Susanoo held a firm grip on one of his capes, while proclaiming their intentions.

"Puhuhuhu... Are you saying that you will kill one of your classmates to get to me? My, my..."

Before they could say anything else, Monokuma disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

"Man... I bet Takakuwa hasn't piloted anything as fast as an incoming Monokuma..."

Maybe if we were lucky we would find some tape to shut her up.

"Do worry not. I will get you out of here. I promise."

"I was thinking... If that many people died here, wouldn't people know? I mean, the school is like, _so_ famous. If people were trapped inside, with no way to contact the outside, everyone would've noticed." Miyara had a good point. It was impossible that our families, or the ones of those who already faced this Killing Game hadn't say anything. And if they did, how did the Academy keep recruiting it's students?

We settled the issue, and went through the next door. I didn't pay much attention to my surroundings at first, to be honest. The sign was pretty clear: "Boys: from 12 to 00. Girls: from 00 to 12. Susanoo will be trusted to enter the bathhouse at any time."

"So, a bathhouse. It can be fine to relax after a hard work day, right? Hashimoto, Shizu, why don't we gather with the rest of the girls and take a bath if the time is right? Susanoo, you can come too!"

"Have you not realized?" Susanoo glared right at her, with a grave tone in their voice. "I am not trusted to enter because of my identity. The... Mastermind... is well aware that I will not remove my mask to anyone, nor will I take off my suit while there are others present. They know I will refrain myself from making use of these installations."

"Oh, that's... too bad."

"Well, I kind of wanted to take a nap, but taking a bath seems relaxing too..."

"I'll probably pass."

"Come on, Hashimoto! It'll be fun!"

"We will see, just focus on looking for clues or an exit."

Susanoo remained silent the entire time. We registered the changing room and the bath, before going to see the sauna in the back.

"Hey. There is something here." Miyara had her arm trying to reach something under the bench. "I'm almost... Gotcha!" She extracted a small object, and showed it to us. It was a coin, with Monokuma's face in one side, and a number five engraved on the other side. "What."

"A coin? Will we be needing money?"

I turned around, looking for Monokuma to appear and give us some half-assed explanation, but it didn't came.

"You should keep it... Maybe you can buy official Monokuma merchandising with it..." Shizu caressed the lock of dark red hair that hid her right eye as she spoke.

I rolled my eyes and kept looking around, but besides that coin there were nothing of note.

Exiting the hall, we saw how there was a corridor on the front, and to both of our sides. On the right, we could see a metal shutter impeding access to the second floor, and a Storage Room. On the left, we could see the toilet, and going forward, there were sixteen rooms, each of them with a plate with our names.

We went to the Storage Room first, and searched among the innumerable shelves, full of clothing, food, and various things, like work out material and tools. As we accorded, we would split the coins we found.

Distrust would keep me alive, so I slipped a coin with the number twenty in a pocket. We ended searching there with a total of fifteen "values" each. We got ten more in the bathroom, and another five in the trash incinerator room.

There was a shutter there too, as well as a key to open it. Two buttons with the words "turn on" and "turn off" made pretty clear how it worked.

After checking the rooms, we saw that none of them were locked, although there were locks on every single one of them. Each room had its own bathroom, with a shower, a sink and a toilet.

We decided to walk over to the gym, but we couldn't help but make a stop in a room called 'School store'. There were several expending machines, as well as a huge gachapon machine called 'MonoMono Machine'.

It didn't take too much of an inspection to see what kind of goods we could buy in the expending machines: knives, wires, sleeping powders, flammable gel, an electric gun, and like three dozens of other assassination tools. Everything had a price listed under it, as if it were just some bubblegum for a child to buy. But then Shizu pointed at the same item I was looking at: a little sign that said 'Room key'.

We followed the instructions in the machine, as we had to make the purchase through our

E-Handbook, and Miyara spent ten coins, introducing them into the machine, to buy her room key. We quickly went back there, so she could check if it worked. Exactly as we thought, she now could lock her room from others. We checked the fact that a key only worked on its owner's room, and no other door. We all got our own keys, and locked from the outside our rooms, just in case, before finally going back to the gym.

After arriving, we found Team 1, who were in charge of the three classrooms, and Team 4, who were tasked with searching the other rooms in the first floor. Team 2 arrived soon after us, and that concluded the exploration.

"So... who is starting?" Sugihara, the boxer, was the first one to break the ice.

"If you don't mind, I will." That handsome guy, Aikawa the violinist, from Team 4, answered quickly, with a smirk. "The others and me took a quick look around the gym first, and when we found a strange coin, Monokuma gave us a fast explanation of what were they for. We can expend them in the school store to get various dangerous items for the Killing Game, but we can also use them in the MonoMono Machine, which has valuables and other trinkets. Show them, Umemura."

"Oh, yeah. I made a fifteen Mono-coin pull because I wanted to get a Rose in Vitro. I love flowers, because they're so pretty, and I grew a tulip once and it was yellow and-"

" _Ahem._ " Thanks to Takakuwa, we didn't have to endure a second more of that crap.

"Sorry. I got these headphones instead. I like them because they work with Bluetooth and it unlocked a Music app in my E-Handbook so... I can listen to music."

"That is basically it. There isn't much more to say about the Store, or the Gym. Then there is the Exit. It... well, it has a huge door, like the safe deposit in a bank or something. There are also several mounted weapons, like heavy machine guns and such, so we couldn't get the courage to touch it, but it seemed to require a password."

"Yes. We couldn't know if the input of a wrong password would kill us, so we shouldn't take the risk." Adachi, in their same group, continued the explanation. "Either way, we also registered the Nursery. It was quite well equipped with medicine, blood packs and plenty of other stuff, so we should be safe from sickness or injuries. And, speaking of this, Michizoe, could you please tell us about your crutches?"

He looked down, and took his time before speaking. "I... I was diagnosed with a bone disease. I was a kid back then... it's nothing, really. I could walk without them, but they're just for safety. My mother always says that I should get a wheelchair, but that feels like... giving up on walking, you know? I don't want that."

"It's fine, Michizoe. I just thought it was important to know if you were injured, or if it was something like what you told us." For the first time since we first met him, Adachi smiled. His bright green eyes shone behind those glasses, and Michizoe wasn't the only one who returned that smile. "Thank you for sharing it."

"It's nothing..."

"That's pretty much all there is to it." The fourth member of their team, Tsuchinoko, was the one closing their story. "We looked everywhere, but there was no way to open that huge red door between the classrooms and the Exit. No matter how hard we pulled, it wouldn't bulge."

"Michizoe, you and your team were looking inside the classrooms, right? Found anything?" I redirected the conversation to him because he was the only one besides us that I knew what he was doing, as he couldn't be on the second floor team.

"Y-yes. Every window was covered by those metal plates like the ones here, but they were normal classrooms. We also found Mono-coins there. We finished early, there really were nothing interesting... Did you find something?"

"Well, besides some Mono-coins, of course, we searched the kitchen and the cafeteria. There is a list so we can make sure there is nothing missing, but to make it difficult to know if someone sneaks out a knife from there, the list raises a mathematical problem, so maybe we should try and solve it." I wasn't bad at maths, but I surely wasn't one of the best in my class, back in the normal school. Maybe if a few worked together we could pull it off.

"Of course, there is always the possibility that someone already secured a weapon. Right, Ikehara? You were alone in the cafeteria and the kitchen for who knows how long before meeting Hashimoto." I didn't expect Aikawa to make such a remark, but I already gave that a thought. Was he planning to use Distrust as a way to protect himself?

"What? Are you screwing with me now?" Girl, he sure looked mad at him. Did he think they were friends or something?

"Ikehara, he has a point." I got into the discussion quickly, trying to secure an understanding position. "We won't get mad, if you took one, just say it and no one will judge you for it."

"Yeah, bad boy, don't go all _edgy_ for a knife, it's not a big deal, but just do it quickly, I don't wan't to be talking about this until _knifetime._ "

"You shut up! And you bitch! What the fuck are you doing siding with him?" Now he got all red.

"I'm not doing anything. I just said that you could have taken one. You know, I would've done just that. Susanoo over here can testify that I didn't when we went there, by the way. But you and you alone were there before we met. I'm not saying you did it. I just said you could. But you sure got all worked up for that. Was he right?"

"The hell he was! I didn't take shit! Are y'all going to believe that fucker? Seriously?"

"He just pointed out a possibility. And you don't help yourself by infuriating like this." Takakuwa joined too.

"Infuriating my ass! Why the fuck are you all siding with him?"

"Well, I'm not saying that you had to be frisked or anything." Aikawa smiled, raising his hands as if he wanted to cool the mood, even though he was the one to start the fire. "If you say you didn't, we will have to trust you."

Ikehara didn't seem satisfied with how the discussion ended, and I couldn't help but notice the fact that people had took a step away from him.

"So the other day I went into a restaurant called Karma, and I found out that they had no menu, you just would get what you deserved." Fifteen pairs of eyes locked on Shizu. Most probably the reaction she wanted. "Okay, now that I got your attention, we also found a Storage Room with lots of things and tools. It even had a furniture area. It looked like a mini IKEA. There also were weights and that kind of things, Sugihara. I thought you'd want to know."

"Oh! Cool! Thank you!"

"Yeah... It's nothing..."

"Indeed, along with the Storage Room, we inspected the bedrooms, which keys must be purchased from the vending machine. Without them, you will not be able to lock them. I encourage you all to get it and lock it always when you sleep. All of them had a surveillance camera and a monitor. Additionally, we also found the Trash Room where Adachi woke up. There was a single key to open the shutter, and the incinerator seemed easy to handle."

"Oh!" Miyara interrupted him, putting her hands together. "I know! I saw a blackboard in the Storage Room! We could use it to arrange cleaning and cooking duty!"

Adachi smiled at her proposal. "Yes, I think it is a pretty good idea. Let's finish discussing our findings and do that in the cafeteria."

"We could be talking about this there, you know that, right? With chairs, and that kind of things. Maybe a cup of coffee." Tsuchinoko made quite the good point, actually. We all agreed on that and went over there.

Already in the cafeteria, we all sat around a table and resumed our talk.

"Upstairs it was pretty boring, you know?" Nagano was the one to speak now. "Only the classrooms and the AV room were open. Michizoe was right, the classrooms are pretty normal ones, and the AV one had, like, twenty computers and a shelf with lots of movies and other things."

Her companions nodded, confirming her words. Miyara then took out her E-Handbook, and glanced at it.

"Oh, it's almost time! Shizu and I were thinking that the girls could take a bath after having talked this over. So, what do you think?"

"Yeah! There's nothing like sharing a bath to relax after working!" Sugihara was pretty fired up at the suggestion.

"I never did shared one before, it can be fun, I guess." Even Takakuwa seemed to like the idea. Everyone seemed satisfied with the idea, so probably I'd join too. It seemed better than staring at the ceiling.

"It's twenty to twelve, you know?" Adachi seemed ready to spoil the fun.

"Oh, it's true... Maybe if we ask Monokuma, it can change the times."

"Hirose, are you sure you want to call it?" I looked at her, with a skeptical look. "I doubt it will make anything easier for us if it is unrelated to kill."

"I don't know. That handsome bear is allowing everyone to live here for free. Shouldn't we all be more grateful? Like, praising him as a god..."

"Shit!" Tsuchinoko almost fell from his chair when he saw Monokuma sitting at his right. Nakashima, the Gardener, jumped from his own on his feet, equally startled. Actually, none of us expected Monokuma to join the conversation that way.

"Sure thing! I'll delay the bathing hours three hours! Anything else?"

"Yeah, how about letting us go without killing anyone?"

"My, my, someone home would be pretty disappointed to hear you say that, wouldn't they?" Monokuma looked sad now. If we weren't locked up, I would be amused by how the bear was articulated to be so expressive. "What would the Boss think of that, Mr. Ikehara?"

Okay, wait for a bit. _What the hell was it saying about a Boss?_

"You know nothing about me, alright?!"

"Well, it casually happens that I know quite a bit about all of you... I also know your true allegiances, of course!"

_Why is it talking like that..._

"I don't-" Ikehara shut up immediately. As if he were to say some forbidden words that should never be pronounced.

"If you're not going to blow the secret, goodbye, everybody!" And with that, Monokuma took its usual, fast leave, leaving us all confused and lost. But most importantly, seeding distrust in our hearts.

"So... I've been thinking about it for a while..." Aikawa was dead serious now, fixating his eyes on an angry Ikehara. "About the possibility of at least one of us, working with the Mastermind. A traitor of sorts."

I could feel a tight, hard knot on my stomach. The talk about a knife from before was one thing, but this was different. Secret allegiances? Being the Mastermind's accomplice?

"Dude, are you fucking accusing me?"

"I might. If I were to do that, what would you do? Would you kill me? It seems that both your Boss and Monokuma would like that."

I couldn't speak. the fourteen of us were completely frozen on the place. This wasn't just wielding Distrust in order to be safe. Aikawa was cornering Ikehara with a mine field. The musician was confronting a guy who was like fifteen centimeters taller, and looked quite stronger than him, but it was as if he knew Ikehara couldn't harm him.

_Why was he feeling safety from the Killing Game?_

"Then, tell us, Ikehara." Aikawa leaned forward, planting his elbow on the table and supporting his chin on his hand, with a wide smile. "I promise I will trust whatever lie you tell us to make us think you're not a traitor. So, do you owe loyalty to a murderous organization, or not?"

The cafeteria was filled with a heavy atmosphere. So heavy it was hard to even breathe. I couldn't look away from those two men who were having such a discussion. Although, more than a discussion, it was a hopeless one sided verbal massacre. Then, it happened.

Ikehara put his hands on the table, got up from his chair, and walked out of the cafeteria.

We remained silent for a moment. No one went after him. No one wanted to be alone with the possibly armed, possibly member of a murderous organization, possibly, a traitor.

We stayed at the cafeteria for a bit longer. No one felt like bathing anymore, so I just went to my room and took a shower. After inspecting the wardrobe, I found fourteen other sets of black vests, matching trousers, a small box with pink hairpins, and a drawer with twenty pink handkerchiefs like the one I always had on my chest pocket. I also had plenty of underwear for when I needed to change, and as it was exactly my size, I took it. After the shower, I got dressed and took care of my hair. It fell straight from my head to my shoulders, soft, shiny and black. I made sure, as always, that my hair didn't bothered me using one of the hairpins, and thought about going back to the cafeteria. I was still nervous about the fight between Aikawa and Ikehara, but I needed to eat something.

I was almost ready to go out, and then, four knocks on the door got my attention. There, his arms crossed and with a confident smile, Aikawa has waiting for me.


	3. Chapter 1: Hope Without a Cause - Free Time

"So, Hashimoto, how about fried noodles? I'm a pretty good cook, you know?"

"Why?" The noodles thing sounded pretty good, actually, but it was pretty strange to invite someone you don't know to eat with you, and more in this situation.

"Well, because I can cook for more than one person, and it's more fun to eat with a company. I invited Nagano and Natsu too." He didn't seem bothered by my question. I'd even say he found it funny.

_Is this cretin and the blonde bimbo trying to make fun of me?_

"Sure." It seemed a better plan than just heating some canned food and eating it alone.

And so we walked the short distance from my room to the cafeteria, where Natsu and Nagano were already waiting for us, as well as some others who were chatting or eating.

"Oh, hello there." Natsu forced a smile while greeting me. _Jeez,_ _is he scared of me?_

"Kaminari! Are you joining us?" _I don't remember giving her permission to call me by my first name, but whatever._

"Yes. If you don't mind, that is."

"Like, not at all! This will be our school family! Isn't it, like, totally lovely?" _Gross._

"Yeah, why not? So, any allergies? I'll go make lunch now." Aikawa laughed at Nagano's proposal, and after taking a mental note about Natsu's intolerance to eggs he sped up to the kitchen. I could have just stayed with those two dummies, but as I chose distrust as a survival tool, I accompanied Aikawa to the kitchen in order to make sure he didn't use any suspicious ingredients, and well, it'd be nice if I learned to cook something.

"So you're coming? Is it to lend me a hand or do you just want to make sure I don't poison you three?" He laughed at his own joke, which was as funny to me as the ones Shizu made.

"Yes, that's exactly it."

"Which one of the two?" _Wait, does he think I'm running along his joke?_

"Take a guess."

I couldn't know for sure, but I'd say his expression turned colder for an instant. When we entered the kitchen, Miyara was using one of the fires to cook some veggies, and Tsuchinoko was sitting in a chair, waiting for his meal to finish heating in the microwave.

"Sup'."

"Oh, hi."

Pretty much everyone was preparing their own thing, as the spacious room allowed, if not the sixteen of us, at least ten people to use it simultaneously. Aikawa then opened a sealed bag of noodles, and started preparing everything, while telling me what I could do to help. Both of them finished quickly and left us alone there. Just in case, I made sure to always have some nearby tool located so I could deflect an attack, and an eye on Aikawa. Even the shy Michizoe could use his crutches as a mace, so there was no way I could trust anyone else.

"Do you have any siblings?" Aikawa's question took me off guard, though.

"No. I'm an only child."

"I'm the same. I always wanted a little brother or sister, you know? Someone to look after."

"I see." Too bad for him, I guess.

"Well, at least I can do that now, don't you think?" He turned on my direction, with a warm, wide, shining smile.

"What do you mean?"

"I can look after you. I mean, not _just_ you, also after Natsu, Shizu, Michizoe, everyone."

"Ikehara too?" I interrupted him while bringing him the chopped vegetables he asked me.

"I was a bit too rough before, wasn't I?" He just laughed it off, as to make a joke out of the fact that the uncomfortable mood that has been reigning is because of him. "If it helps you to chill about it, I don't really think Ikehara has anything to do with this."

"Then why were you so focused on him? First with the knife, then with the accomplice thing."

"Oh, no. I do think he is hiding a weapon. I was just trying to make the actual traitor more comfortable, making everyone doubt an innocent one so he can make a mistake." For such a heavy topic, he was pretty calm about it.

"So you also have someone in mind."

"I sure do."

"And are you telling me?"

"Maybe. Could we discuss it tonight at the AV Room, over dinner, and perhaps a movie?"

_What the fuck._

"I'm not really okay spending time late alone in a room far from the other areas."

"Of course, silly me!" _Yeah, fucking stupid you._ "We'll have to delay that for another time won't we?" He remained as smiley as always.

"Don't get your hopes too high."

"Yeah, I'll try." He put the noodles in a tray, as he had finished preparing the meal, and added a last comment before leaving the kitchen. "Well, if you ever want to talk about _that,_ you know when, how and where we will. If you change your mind, let me know beforehand, so I can prepare something fancier than this, alright?"

_W ait, was he flirting? Did he expect me to go in the kitchen with him so he could suggest having dinner together and the movie. That sounds like a freaking date to me. Maybe I should go along so he tells me about this traitor theory of his. Too bad for him I'd rather listen to a hundred hours of Shizu's rambling than dating a guy._

I walked out of the kitchen right after him, bringing chopsticks with me. Natsu had already brought a jar of water and several cups. I noted the fact that every jar and cup were made of reusable, washable plastic. So we couldn't break them and use them as weapons? Doesn't it seem a bit stupid then we have knives the size of my arm and an expending machine with fucking napalm?

"Yummy!" Nagano was practically drooling at the sight of the food. I couldn't really blame her.

"Dude, that sure looks good."

I took a seat next to Natsu, who was opposite Nagano. We all served ourselves as much as we wanted, and the Gardener took the rest of it.

"We were talking about family in there. What about you two, do you have siblings?" Aikawa omitted the second half of the conversation, but whatever.

"I do!" Nagano raised her head, as carefree and gleeful as ever. "I have a big brother and a big sister, but I'm the tallest of the three."

"Figures, what are you, almost two meters?" I asked, after taking a sip of water.

"Yup! A meter and ninety centimeters of pure beauty." She winked at me before continuing. "He's studying to be a lawyer, and she is a teacher. What about you?"

"Hashimoto and I were talking about being only children, so not much to talk about it, right?"

I nodded. It's not like I could tell a lot about my parents, either.

"I have a brother too, two years older. I haven't seen him since I was four, or something like that, so I don't know what has been of him."

The mood got somewhat heavy after that. We had met that same morning, so we wouldn't be asking about such things.

"And what were you planning to do after graduating Hope's Peak?" Natsu really had a single neuron and it was trying its best.

"Playing Snooker." I said, the Ultimate Snooker Player.

"I'll start an Archery shooting range." Said the Ultimate Archer.

"I'm planning to do worldwide concerts with my violin." Said the Ultimate Violinist.

"Oh. Makes sense..." And the conversation died again.

"Kaminari, are you doing something later?" After a few minutes, Nagano was the next to talk, while fiddling with her hair.

"Yeah, I was thinking about visiting my mother and maybe gathering with some friends at the amusement park, do you want to come?" It was intended to be a friendly joke. I swear.

"Jeez, you don't have to put it like that..." _Great, now I made her sad._ "I just was going to ask you to keep me company while I looked for something for my room at the Storage Room..."

"I can go with you!" Natsu was ready to save the day. "I had nothing to do, anyway, so it's fine, and I can even help carry what you need."

"Would you? You're the best, Natsu, thank you!" Maybe it's because I never spent a minute close to a girl like Nagano, but her reaction seemed a bit overboard. She was putting her hands together and put them under her chin, resting her cheek on them. "I'd be so grateful..."

It didn't take long before we finished eating lunch, so without much to do, I went to the laundry room to get the five magazines about billiards, which didn't even look very interesting, and walked to my room, but Tsuzuki was in the corridor at the end of the hall, so there was no way to avoid him.

"Hashimoto, can I borrow you a second?"

"Sure thing."

"I was just thinking about what Miyara said before. About the blackboard and fixating cleaning and cooking duty. I just thought it would be useful, like, a teamwork thing, or something similar, don't you think?"

"Someone has to do it, so I agree to take turns. But cooking too?"

"Think about it! Three or four people in the kitchen, each one cooks something different, and then we choose what we want from there! And that way we can teach each other too, so it's even better, right?"

"I guess you're right."

"Great, then we'll be gathering in the cafeteria at six, okay?"

"I'll be there."

"One more thing. Could you get Ikehara to come?" He adjusted his orange tie, while he asked me as if it was a huge favor.

"Why don't you ask yourself?"

"You were with him at the beginning, so..."

"So what. I also sided with Aikawa about the knife."

"Come on, he won't even think about that after... you know. But think about it, even if the traitor think is true, that means whoever it is won't kill anyone, because they wouldn't want to leave. We shouldn't leave Ikehara out of this, even if we don't trust him."

"Okay, you have a point. I'll talk to him."

"Thank you, seriously. I'll get the others, remember, at six o'clock."

We parted ways, and I got into my room for a second to leave there the magazines, and looked for Ikehara's room.

"Ikehara."

But there was no answer.

"Ikehara!"

Nothing.

"Oi! Ikehara!"

No matter how much I raised my voice, I got no answer. At the end of the corridor, Shizu, Miyara and Tsuzuki had gathered after hearing me yell. As my hand rose to grab the doorknob dread started spreading from my throat all the way to the stomach. The door opened, and I saw something that I certainly wasn't expecting.


End file.
